Hooray, an update!

Hello all,

Hope everything's going well in good auld Iowa. It hasn't rained here in three weeks (knock wood), so I've been jumping at the chance to spend all the time I can outside running or taking in the scenery. Combine that with the mammoth load of Irish college assessment essays I've written/need to write and you'll get my reason for not taking the time to update you on recent happenings. Sorry.

Lately I've found that I don't always have to spend money on a day/weekend trip to find interesting places or experience new things. Take last Tuesday. One of my late night essay writing sessions ended up resulting in a missed alarm clock. I rolled over, grabbed my phone and sprung out of bed, realizing my weekly whistle lesson was half-over. What was usually 15-20 minute comfortable stroll to class turned into a ten-minute power walk up Sunday's Well Road in attempt to make my presence known. After failing to catch my professor before her daily two-hour tea/lunch break, I decided not to dwell on my boneheaded mistake and "walk it out". I continued down a steep, 'dodgy' looking alley to come across a white hanging bridge that lead to a huge garden complete with intricate shrubbery, cool sculptures, historical murals and vast arrays of trees ranging from palm to spruce. Think the Reiman Gardens if it spanned the area of a couple-three football fields. It was pretty impressive, but since it's February none of the flowers were in bloom. At least I found a new place to check out and take some pictures of when I get back to Cork in May from the Eurotrip.

Another unique aspect of Irish culture that can be experienced for free is, of course, going to church. The past few weeks I've been attending Sunday Choral Eucharist at St. Finn Barre's Cathedral which is located a stone's throw away from my apartment. I figured with the cathedral's location, starting time, and shenanigans that I get myself into (tongue-in-cheek), I've got no excuse to not go to church. Plus, how many times can a guy say "Oh, I was a regular at a Medieval Gothic Cathedral that has been active in worship for over a thousand years, no big deal." It's a great experience though. St. Finn Barre's is an Episcopalian (Catholic-lite) church, which is nice for me, beause being a confirmed Methodist, I can partake in the Eucharist without cheating a 2,000 year old doctrine of faith. The cathedral's interior is something I can't explain. Words, nor pictures can do it justice. I'll just say that every time I've gone there, the hairs on the back of my neck have been erect in awe. I don't know if it's the beautiful stain glass windows depicting biblical stories, the floor-shaking bass in 3,022 pipes of the organ, the angelic choir with people ranging from age 8 to 70, or the hospitable congregation and clergy. There's something about that place... it has something going for it, I'll tell you that much.

If I may, I'm going to pull a 180 in the next paragraph. This weekend I spent some time in Midleton (Co. Cork), a town famous for housing the Old Jameson Irish Whiskey distillery. The tour was touristy, but the place was really well preserved and it was fun to learn how Irish whiskey differs from Scotch or Bourbon not only by taste but by preparation. I'd get into the details of how it is made, but I'm just a mere consumer, not a producer. After the complimentary taste-test and drink at the end of the tour, I realized that the long, 12 year process of distilling the whiskey makes for a tasty, smooth end product.

(The front entrance to the distillery. The massive amount of windows were there because the grain stored in the house could ignite at any second, so the workers had to leave them all open to make sure the house was well ventilated.)

Well, I had planned on making this post a short, concise paragraph but alas, I don't have the willpower to control the amount of writing I put on an internet blog.

The next month will be interesting as I'm booked solid every weekend till I come home traveling to different spots in Europe/UK/Ireland, so you can expect a little more from me.

Until next time...

Slainte! (<-pronounced slahn-chi)